Bio
Dr. Gonzalo Pérez-Rosales is a quantitative coral reef ecologist, oceanographer, and technical diver with a strong interest in the depth gradients of marine ecosystems.
He earned his B.Sc. in Marine Science – Oceanography in the Canary Islands before moving to Australia, where he immersed himself in studying coral reefs. Through academic volunteering programs and his role as a fieldwork team member for the Netflix film documentary Chasing Coral, he committed to advancing coral reef research and communication. He later completed an M.Sc. in Biodiversity and Environmental Management of Coral Reefs between France and French Polynesia.
Dr. Pérez-Rosales pursued his Ph.D. at EPHE-PSL within CRIOBE, focusing on the mesophotic coral ecosystems of French Polynesia. His thesis, Diving Deep on the Reef Slopes in French Polynesia: New Insights into Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems, was supervised by Valeriano Parravicini and Laetitia Hédouin. This work was made possible through the DEEPHOPE expedition and collaboration with the Under The Pole team, where he served as an offshore scientist collecting data for his own research and for others.
Following his doctoral studies, he began his first postdoctoral appointment at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), contributing to the Super Reefs Project—a joint initiative by WHOI, Stanford University, and The Nature Conservancy aimed at identifying tropical reefs with greater resilience to future heatwaves and climate change.
Currently, Dr. Pérez-Rosales is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology HKUST, working within the Ocean Ecol (Wyatt) Lab and supported by the RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme. His research focuses on understanding the oceanography, functions, and biodiversity gradients of mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Coral Triangle.
His ultimate goal is to provide empirical research and practical tools that support science-based conservation decisions, ensuring the future of ocean ecosystems in the face of global change.
Education
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | Kowloon, Hong Kong, SAR China
RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship | 2024 - ongoing
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution | Woods Hole, Massachussets, United States
Postdoctoral Investigator | 2022 - 2023 Work on the Super Reefs Project
École Pratique des Hautes Études | French Polynesia and France
Ph.D. Marine Biology | 2018 - 2022 Diving deep on the reef slopes in French Polynesia: new insights into mesophotic coral ecosystems
École Pratique des Hautes Études | France
M.S.c Biodiversity and environmental management | 2016 - 2018
University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Spain
B.S.c in Marine Science & Oceanography | 2010 - 2014
Experience
WHOI | Postdoctoral Investigator | 2022 - 2023
CRIOBE | PhD candidate and Master internship | 2016 - 2022
Under The Pole | Fieldwork scientist | 2018 - 2019
Mesophotic.org | Coordination and Data curation | 2016 - now
Chasing Coral Film | Production assistant, camera and fieldwork team member | 2016
University of Queensland | Volunteer Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab | 2016
Oceanografica | Marine Science Campaigns - Communication and Science | 2013 - 2014